Top 4 things to do in San Francisco
The experiences that I enjoyed the most in SF as a short-term visitor!
I spent a few weeks in San Francisco in 2022 and here are some fun facts I learnt about SF, to start off:
- SF gets foggy. At some point, someone decided to name the fog Karl. Karl, the fog now has twitter and instagram accounts with more than two hundred thousand followers.
- In the words of an SF local, “It’s shorts weather for exactly 2 weeks in the entire year”.
Below, I’ve compiled a list of the what activities I enjoyed during my time there. I’ve grouped them by region so you combine them into a single trip. I tried to visit most of the ‘touristy’ recommendations I found on the internet, so the list should cover most of them — it’s just a bit more filtered based on my own experience!
1. Mission District (Art + Food + Park)!
- Balmy Alley: collection of pretty murals
- Clarion Alley: murals but street had litter when I went
- La Cumbre Taqueria: Restaurant that claims to be the birthplace of Mission-style burritos
- Mission Dolores Park: probably the most popular park in SF, lots of people there if it’s sunny
2. Golden Gate Bridge / Sausalito / Muir Woods / Point Reyes (Views + Hikes)!
- Sausalito: Cute picturesque town by the water (Highly recommend The Spinnaker restaurant for some amazing views as you eat)
- Point Reyes: National seashore, very peaceful drive, there’s a lighthouse at the end too
- Muir Woods: Redwood forest with some pretty nice hikes. Need to reserve a parking permit in advance (if they sell out, you can book a bus ride from Sausalito)
- Golden Gate Bridge: You’ll almost certainly drive up and down the Golden Gate Bridge to get to any of the places listed above. On the way back, check out the Golden Gate View Point or the Battery Spencer View Point (this one is 0.2 miles ahead of the previous one, and gets you closer to the bridge!) to get a photo with the bridge!
3. Golden Gate Park
Unlike the name suggests, GGP it is actually not adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge or to the bay. That being said, it’s only a short distance away.
This park is HUGE. It’s even bigger than New York’s Central Park. And like it, it has tons to offer — it’s home to the Conservatory of Flowers, California Academy of Sciences, the de Young Art Museum, Japanese Tea Garden,in addition to the pools, windmills, sports fields, picnic areas, and a bison paddock!
4. Fisherman’s Wharf
- Cable Car: To get to Fort Mason/ Fisherman’s Wharf, you could take the Powell/Hyde line cable car (starts at Market St & Powell St, end’s at Fort Mason) which is one of the ones that has standing spots too!
- Fisherman’s Wharf: Cute area ( Things to do around this area include Pier 39 with all its sea lions basking in the sun, Ghirardelli Square, shopping, and food)
- Embarcadero: If you have time, walk down the Embarcadero, i.e, the waterfront! It’s pretty and a bunch of cool buildings on the piers including the Exploratorium (fun and HUGE interactive science museum) and the Ferry Building (departure location for ferries, food hall, cute shops)
Other things to do:
- Hikes: Twin Peaks (You can also just drive to the top, good sunset spot), Land’s End (short and sweet hike with views of the bridge), Mt Sutro (very zen, wasn’t crowded)
- Attractions: Alcatraz (island), Lombard Street (iconic curved street), Palace of Fine Arts (not really sure what’s going on with this but it looks cool), Painted Ladies (iconic houses)
- SF areas to check out:Japantown (for some amazing ramen), Haight Ashbury (hippie), Chinatown (vibes)
- Sports: Chase Center, Oracle Park
- Random: Church of 8 Wheels (Roller skating inside an old church), 16th Ave Tiled Steps (if you’re interested in more like this, heard great reviews about this book: Stairway Walks in San Francisco)
